City commissioners voted tentatively to cut the tax rate.
Stuart has amazing beaches, places to fish and regional parks
Stuart has tons of things to do from fishing and sailing to hiking at Halpatiokee Regional Park to tanning at Bathtub Beach.
STUART — Property taxes here likely will increase following the tentative decision by the City Commission Sept. 8 to lower next year’s tax rate to 4.9 mills from 5 mills this year.
Property taxes can go up even when the tax rate falls if property values, such as home values, go up, which occurred over the past year. The taxable value of property in Stuart rose 4.2%, from $3.5 billion in 2024 to $3.8 billion in 2025.
Property taxes for 2025-2026 are based on property values as of Jan. 1, 2025, which are computed from 2024 data.
The owner of a $500,000 home, whose value did not increase this year, would pay $2,450 in property tax for 2025-2026. For the current year, that same owner paid $2,500. But an increase in the home’s value may mean an increase in taxes, even though the tax rate had been reduced.
Property values went up everywhere in Martin County last year except in Indiantown, according to the Martin County Property Appraiser’s office.
Increases in the taxable value of property in every municipality in 2025 were less than those in 2024. But countywide the taxable value of property rose again.
The City Commission will make the final decision on the tax rate and the budget Sept. 22.
Stuart’s budget
Stuart’s general fund budget, which is affected by the tax rate and property values, is tentatively set at $47.9 million, down from $48.2 million in 2024-2025.
Expenditures for public safety, consisting of police and fire rescue, amount to $24.9 million or 52% of the general fund.
Four firefighters would be hired under the tentative budget while about 16 positions in the city could be eliminated or consolidated, following direction from the City Commission, said Louis Boglioli III, director of the Financial Services Department.
The loss of 16 positions is a guesstimate, Boglioli said, because one person quit, another is retiring and because of natural attrition.
The city started the 2025-2026 budget process with 316 positions, Boglioli said. Consolidating or cutting positions would help create a balanced budget, he said.
Keith Burbank is TCPalm’s watchdog reporter covering Martin County. He can be reached at keith.burbank@tcpalm.com and at 720-288-6882.
